University FabLabs
A way to combine theory and practice, increase openness and curiosity, and promote collaborative initiatives
A collaboration between students and the stakeholders around them to highlight educational innovation
Long-term strategic planning for university academic offerings and priority partnerships to help students transition into their careers
Inspirations
FabLabs – Individual and Collective Learning Initiatives that Support the Innovation Ecosystem
Helping each individual put theoretical principles into practice to better absorb them
The Leonard de Vinci University FabLab
Léonard de Vinci University in La Défense provides access to digital production machines so that student groups can create their own models and objects.
Inspirations
FabLabs – Individual and Collective Learning Initiatives that Support the Innovation Ecosystem
University degree programmes open to continuing education students
FacLab, Cergy Pontoise University
FacLab is offering two university degrees to continuing education students:
“Professional Facilitator”, where students learn to manage FabLabs and other third places and “Introduction to Digital Production”, which trains students to use the main digital production tools
What makes FacLab unique
It is a free, shared service open to the public: students, professors/researchers, pensioners, business leaders, employment-seekers, non-profits, etc.
Inspirations
FabLabs – Individual and Collective Learning Initiatives that Support the Innovation Ecosystem
Research in the making
Users make the FabLab in their image
Coming Together to Innovate
Students, professors, researchers, partner business or curious locals – everyone comes together to work in workshops, helping take contemporary education to the next level
Impact on Research
The university FabLab teams provide students with the production tools they need and study the impact these have on their coursework and projects.
FabLab Barcelona, Institute for Advanced
Architecture of Catalonia, No. 1 in Europe
FabLab Barcelona, the top FabLab in Europe, partnered with international players to create the Smart Citizen OpenData1 tool, which helps city dwellers connect to their surroundings.
To realise this goal, FabLab Barcelona provided access to OpenSource2 geolocation tools and data collection and sharing tools.
Inspirations
FabLabs – Individual and Collective Learning Initiatives that Support the Innovation Ecosystem
Collaborations between engineers and designers in Switzerland
Learning by Doing
Producing prototypes as part of training programmes, side projects or workshops hosted by university faculty
Electronic Maker Lab, EPFL and ECAL (Switzerland)
This space is underpinned by the idea of combining design and engineering approaches through student collaboration across sectors. The effort is overseen by teachers from EPFL, ECAL and senior researchers at the Electronic Maker Lab, but the culture of student autonomy and empowerment is one of the keys to the success this space has enjoyed.
